Q. When you were a youngster, were you in leadership roles or doing entrepreneurial things?
A. I’m a musician. That’s my background. My first job was playing classical organ for a funeral home when I was 12. I then played the organ for church, and as I went on and majored in music I graduated to larger churches. I learned to direct the choir with my right hand while I was playing the organ with my left hand and my feet.
When I went to college, they said, “What do you want to major in?” The only thing I really knew at that point was music, so I decided to be a music major — it was a performance degree, not a teaching degree. I probably shouldn’t have done that, since there aren’t that many professional organists in the world. So when I graduated, I started selling organs. That’s how I got into selling and marketing, and that’s really driven my career.
Q. What about your parents’ influence?